While most post-secondary students in Saskatchewan feel they have the supports they need on campus, about one-third of those who participated in a recent survey say they are suffering mental distress.
A Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey survey was conducted earlier this year by Healthy Campus Saskatchewan (HCSK), in which more than 3,000 post-secondary students enrolled in 19 institutions across the province participated. Great Plains College, with campuses in Warman and Martensville, is one of the participating post-secondary institutions.
According to the HCSK, student mental health is an important issue. The pandemic has created major changes and challenges for students, faculty, and staff which has an impact on mental health and wellbeing.
HCSK brings 19 post-secondary institutions together to provide students with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to achieve their personal and academic goals.
In Spring 2021, HCSK rolled out the Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey (CCWS) to more than 3,000 Saskatchewan post-secondary students with the goal of establishing baseline information around health and wellbeing on a provincial scale.
“The results from this survey will provide the post-secondary education sector with rich data from Saskatchewan students to help understand their experiences,” HCSK Strategic and Operational Lead Bev Drew said. “The CCWS assessed overall campus climate and a variety of factors that contribute to student mental health and wellness.”
Data from the survey indicated most students felt their campus provided a respectful, inclusive climate and a supportive learning environment. The majority of students knew where to access mental and physical health services both on and off campus and believed there was a good support system for students who were going through difficult times. Students indicated they had high levels of social support and risky alcohol use was comparatively lower than in previous surveys. Concern for student mental health does remain however, with 32% of students reporting severe mental distress and 28% reporting low mental wellbeing.
A big part of HCSK’s work is in supporting post-secondary education institutions as they adopt the National Standard for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students. “The National Standard serves as a roadmap to increase awareness of mental health on our campuses and helps us to create safer and healthier overall environments,” says Debra Kemp-Koo, Director of Counselling, Health, Wellness, and Accessibility for Saskatchewan Polytechnic. “HCSK has played an instrumental role in helping many campuses move forward to meet the Standard.”
Healthy Campus Saskatchewan is also helping post-secondary education institutions build capacity by providing mental health train-the trainer programs to ensure campuses have access to certified trainers who can regularly deliver training to students, faculty, and staff.
“Building capacity in mental health training is about investing in the people at our institution,” Mental Health Advisor for Health, Safety and Wellness at the University of Regina, Rob McCaffrey said. “We need to be equipping people at our institutions with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage their own mental health, and support those around them. This is a fundamental step in creating healthier and more inclusive campuses.”
The Government of Saskatchewan provided $326,000 to support HCSK over 1 ½ years from 2020 to 2022. $15,000 in project funding has been provided by the Medavie Health Foundation. Additional investments have been provided by in-kind contributions from post-secondary institutions and community partners.